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to wish to know not even the cause of your sins. For this very reason, just as judges do, commanding those who cry out and state the reasons for the scourgings to follow those being flogged, 'Be not thieves, be not robbers;' so indeed God, making a public spectacle of you everywhere, commanded the prophets to follow you, stating the reason for the punishment. For everywhere in the inhabited world they are bound together with you, even now crying out to you. And if you should enter the synagogues, you will hear them continuously saying these words. And David says, describing that robber-like tribunal of Caiaphas. that for this reason you have perished. For having said, Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yoke from us, he added: Then he shall speak to them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. And Isaiah, having said that He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, added: And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death; and again elsewhere, discoursing about the vineyard: I waited that it should bring forth justice, but it brought forth iniquity, and not justice, but a cry. And what cry? Crucify, crucify. And he adds: Therefore I will take away its hedge, and it shall be for trampling; and I will command the clouds, that they rain no rain upon it. Therefore, you were not scattered for this reason, but for the outrages committed at the cross; and this is clear from the prophets. And that you may learn the 55.114 power of Christ, and that you may be taught by your own experience the things you were not taught through the prophets, see, at least, also the facts bearing witness. For what the law taught you, this the power of Christ has done in abundance. For as long as you had the law, you both murdered, and killed your children, and committed adultery; but when the sun of righteousness shone, many of your evils were also diminished, and you changed to a more decent life, having been corrected by jealousy toward us. For this reason He scattered you, so that you might know how great a commonwealth He planted upon the earth; and He destroyed the temple, leading you away from wickedness even against your will. And where the temple was destroyed, there also Christ was buried, so that as they pass by his tomb they might see both the trophy of his power, and the word standing which says: There shall not be left here one stone upon another. For everywhere are his trophies, and the memorials of his power. But if, as you say, he was impious and an opponent of God, even if you had sinned ten thousand times, not even so ought you to have been punished; or if you ought to have been, not then; lest anyone might think that you are paying the penalty on his account. Or have you not heard God saying, when you were in captivity, that, Not for your sake do I do it, but for my own sake, that my name may not be profaned? And yet at that time your wickedness was at its height. But nevertheless, he says, lest the barbarians think that I am weak, I overlook your sins, and I save you. Then at that time He saved you while you were transgressing, so that His name might not be profaned; but now would He not have done this? For even if you had sinned ten thousand times, you ought not to have suffered any such thing, if Christ was indeed a deceiver, lest anyone think you have suffered these things on his account, but you should even have been saved; or if you ought to have, as I said before, not then. But now these things have happened at the same time. For when the cross went forth, after a short time the apostles went out, and immediately a terrible war was stirred up against that city; and the saying in the Gospels, namely, Woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck, and all those things were coming to pass in deeds; and the saying, Then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been, was being fulfilled. For women ate their children, and the enemies ripped open the wombs of the dead, and a barbarian fire was spread everywhere, and all things were full of blood, and new tragedies, and the whole world was filled with the evils of the Jews. Considering these things, therefore, acknowledge your Master. Did you not slaughter prophets? did you suffer anything like this? Did you not dig down altars? did it happen

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βούλεσθαι εἰδέναι μηδὲ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὑμῶν τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο, ὅπερ ποιοῦσιν οἱ δικασταὶ, κελεύοντες ἕπεσθαι τοῖς μαστιγουμένοις τοὺς ἐπιβοῶντας καὶ λέγοντας τῶν μαστίγων τὰς αἰτίας, μὴ κλέπται, μὴ ἅρπαγες· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς πανταχοῦ πομπεύων ὑμᾶς, ἐκέλευσεν ὑμῖν ἕπεσθαι τοὺς προφήτας λέγοντας τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς τιμωρίας. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὑμῖν εἰσι συνδεδεμένοι, ἔτι δὲ νῦν ἐπιβοῶντες ὑμῖν. Κἂν εἰσέλθῃς εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς, ἀκούσῃ αὐτῶν ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα συνεχῶς λεγόντων. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ∆αυῒδ φησὶ, τὸ δικαστήριον ἐκεῖνο τὸ λῃστρικὸν ὑπογράφων τοῦ Καϊάφα. ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἀπολώλατε. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ∆ιαῤῥήξωμεν τοὺς δεσμοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀποῤῥίψωμεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν, ἐπήγαγε· Τότε λαλήσει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ θυμῷ αὐτοῦ ταράξει αὐτούς. Ὁ δὲ Ἡσαΐας εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ δώσω τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους ἀντὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ περὶ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος διαλεγόμενος· Ἔμεινα, ἵνα ποιήσῃ δικαιοσύνην, ἐποίησε δὲ ἀνομίαν, καὶ οὐ δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ κραυγήν. Ποίαν δὲ κραυγήν; Σταύρωσον, σταύρωσον. Καὶ ἐπάγει· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καθελῶ τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται εἰς καταπάτημα· καὶ ἐντελοῦμαι ταῖς νεφέλαις, τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι εἰς αὐτὸν ὑετόν. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν διεσπάρητε, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰ τολμηθέντα ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ· καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν δῆλον. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν 55.114 δύναμιν, καὶ ἵνα διδαχθῆτε δι' ἑαυτῶν, ἅπερ οὐκ ἐπαιδεύθητε διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, ὅρα γοῦν καὶ τὰ πράγματα μαρτυροῦντα. Ὅπερ γὰρ ὁ νόμος ὑμᾶς ἐπαίδευσε, τοῦτο ἐκ περιουσίας ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμις ἐποίησεν. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ εἴχετε τὸν νόμον, καὶ ἐφονεύετε, καὶ ἐπαιδοκτονεῖτε, καὶ ἐμοιχεύετε· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος ἔλαμψε, καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων πολλὰ ἠλαττώθη κακῶν, καὶ ἐπιεικέστερον μετήλθετε βίον, ζήλῳ τῷ πρὸς ἡμᾶς διορθωθέντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὑμᾶς διέσπειρεν, ἵνα εἰδῆτε ἡλίκην πολιτείαν ἐφύτευσεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἔλυσεν, ἀπάγων ὑμᾶς καὶ ἄκοντας τῆς κακίας. Καὶ ἔνθα ὁ ναὸς κατελύθη, ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐτάφη, ἵνα διὰ τὸν ἐκείνου τάφον ἀπιόντες καὶ τὸ τρόπαιον ἴδωσι τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως, καὶ τὸν λόγον ἑστῶτα τὸν λέγοντα· Οὐ μὴ μείνῃ λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον ὧδε. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ τρόπαια, καὶ τὰ ὑπομνήματα τῆς δυνάμεως. Εἰ δὲ, ὥς φατε, ἀσεβὴς ἦν καὶ ἀντίθεος, εἰ καὶ μυρία ἡμαρτήκατε, οὐδὲ οὕτω κολασθῆναι ἔδει· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔδει, οὐ τότε· ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ, ὅτι ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου τίνετε δίκην. Ἢ οὐκ ἠκούσατε τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγοντος, ὅταν ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἦτε, ὅτι Οὐ δι' ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ ποιῶ, ἀλλὰ δι' ἐμὲ, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ὄνομά μου βεβηλωθῇ; Καίτοι τότε ἐπετέτατο ὑμῶν ἡ κακία. Ἀλλ' ὅμως, φησὶν, ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν οἱ βάρβαροι ἀσθενῆ με εἶναι, παρίημι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὑμῶν, καὶ σώζω ὑμᾶς. Εἶτα τότε μὲν παρανομοῦντας ἔσωσεν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ βεβηλωθῇ· νυνὶ δὲ οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο ἐποίησεν; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μυρία ἡμαρτήκατε, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο ἔδει παθεῖν, εἴγε πλάνος ἦν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ δι' ἐκεῖνον ταῦτα πεπονθέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ σωθῆναι ἐχρῆν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔδει, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, οὐ τότε. Νυνὶ δὲ ὁμοῦ ταῦτα γέγονεν. Ὅτε γὰρ ὁ σταυρὸς προεχώρησε, μετὰ μικρὸν ἐξῆλθον οἱ ἀπόστολοι, καὶ εὐθέως χαλεπὸς ἀνεῤῥιπίσθη πόλεμος κατὰ τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης· καὶ τὸ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, τὸ, Οὐαὶ ταῖς θηλαζούσαις καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσαις, καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων ἐξῄει· καὶ τὸ, Τότε ἔσται θλίψις, οἵα οὐδέποτε γέγονεν, ἐπληροῦτο. Καὶ γὰρ γυναῖκες τέκνα ἤσθιον, καὶ γαστέρας ἀνεῤῥήγνυσαν νεκρῶν οἱ πολέμιοι, καὶ πῦρ πανταχοῦ βαρβαρικὸν διενέμετο, καὶ αἵματος πάντα ἦν μεστὰ, καὶ τραγῳδίαι καιναὶ, καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη πᾶσα τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν κακῶν ἐμπέπληστο. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοοῦντες, ἐπίγνωτε τὸν ὑμέτερον ∆εσπότην. Οὐχὶ προφήτας ἐσφάξατε; μὴ ἐπάθετέ τι τοιοῦτον; Οὐ θυσιαστήρια κατεσκάψατε; μὴ συνέβη